Corporate Social Responsibilities (Csr) As A Tool Of Brand Building

Abstract

The concept of CSR has gained importance in the recent years because consumers are more concerned about whether organizations are contributing to the betterment of society. In India, the introduction of Clause 135 in the Companies Act has made it mandatory for all businesses - that qualify certain financial parameters - to spend 2 per cent of their average profits in the previous three years on pre-defined CSR activities. With this, there is a lot that organizations have to do to comply with the corporate social responsibility (CSR) aspect of the Act. Organizations can actually look at this mandate as an opportunity rather than a burden as CSR activities offer several benefits to the organizations undertaking these including creating positive image of the brand and the organization. CSR activities should be treated as a brand building exercise as it will help to connect with stakeholders directly. The purpose of this paper is to understand how the role of CSR in brand building. Our study is based on data collected from primary and secondary sources. After literature review on the said subject and analyzing the information collected, we have arrived at the conclusion that there exists positive relation between CSR and the brand. It can be used as an effective tool for brand building. Hence, the organizations other than those for whom CSR is mandatory must undertake CSR initiatives.